Brand & Capture

As a young, naïve editor in NYC, I had a mentor who taught me a lot of about the magazine business. And every month, when we were deciding which cover lines to grace the front of our issue, she would undoubtedly say, “But is it sexy?” when one of us timidly offered our suggestions. It seemed odd, especially because the magazine was geared toward teenage and young adult women, so she clearly wasn’t referring to a Maxim-style approach. And while it took a few tries to wrap my head around what she did mean, I finally got it.

Video is a great asset to any content marketing strategy. It allows you to engage your customers, provide infomation about your company or brand and position your employees as leaders in the industry. There are many myths video is difficult and expensive to produce. But it is actually very economical to create a simple business video. Here are the three stages of making a simple video.

Ever since Facebook came out with advertising opportunities, the question has remained: Which is the better option for marketers—Facebook, Google or Bing? Although this is a frequently asked question, the answer may not be cut and dry. Each advertiser is looking to reach a different audience and has different business goals; this should be taken into consideration when choosing which form of advertising is right for you.

If you’ve been following the content marketing space the last few years (I suspect if you’re a Brand & Capture reader, you are already well-versed in the area), you’ve heard the adage that “Content is King.” I wouldn’t argue that, but I feel the phrase has been exhausted and oversimplifies what content marketing really involves. Quality content is a requirement, yes, but how often are you putting quality content out there? Once a quarter isn’t going to cut it. If content is king, then frequency is queen, and consistency is, I don’t know, the Prime Minister? You get the idea.

What do email marketing, website CTAs, Facebook promoted posts, PPC, blogging, video, print advertisements, QR codes and a conference in Chicago have in common? Go ahead take a minute to ponder. OK – time’s up. Each was an element of a multi-channel campaign that resulted in a dental manufacturer exceeding its 2012 digital marketing goals in a single month.

If there were a magic formula for devising marketing campaigns that always drive lots of new leads and sales, the inventor would be rich and famous. I don't have that formula, but most of us have been bloodied enough by campaigns that failed to know a thing or two. Let's put together a list of some of the most important factors and talk about which things click and which things fizzle.

Mother's Day has always been a special holiday in my family, not only because I have a wonderfully hardworking and supportive mother (see her to the right!) who deserves a special day of recognition, but because, every few years, her birthday falls on Mother's Day, calling for a double celebration.

In order to continuously grow your audience and convert new leads, it is important to learn how to correctly utilize all available social media platforms. Most businesses have already conquered Facebook and Twitter, but struggle to find ways to use the new, visual-based platforms to their full potential.

Having recently entered fatherhood, my wife received a very timely email from SMA that got her attention. So much so that she mentioned it to me. She by no means only gets a couple of emails so for this to stand out must have really got her attention. I then passed eyes over it and thought it was a wonderful example of modern marketing; simple, effective and adding value. I would also like to point out that I am in no way associated to SMA: not as an employee, supplier or partner.

Your customers are fond of you for a reason: You help them solve a problem. Something you sell makes a positive contribution to their lives. Think aboout it for a second: By virtue of your very existence, others are better off. That's no small feat.